Estimation of Soil Carbon Sequestration Rate in Steppes (Case Study: Saveh Rudshur Steppes)
محورهای موضوعی : Relationship between Animal and RangelandM. Mahdavi 1 , H. Arzani 2 , M. Mesdaghi 3 , KH. Mahdavi 4 , J. Mahmodi 5 , M. Alizadeh 6
1 - Islamic Azad University, Noor Branch
2 - Professor of Tehran University
3 - Gorgan University
4 - Islamic Azad University, Noor Branch
5 - Educated Student of Islamic Azad University, Noor Branch
6 - Educated Student of Islamic Azad University, Noor Branch
کلید واژه: Carbon sequestration, Exclosure, Soil organic carbon, Steppes, Saveh Rudshur,
چکیده مقاله :
Since Renaissance, the natural ecosystems have fallen into a complete state ofdisarray due to the rise in the amount of carbon dioxide. Soil, the unsparing stuff, is one of themajor sources of carbon storage, and plays a paramount role in the global equilibrium ofcarbon as well as carbon sequestration. Given that Iran is benefiting from vast steppes, therate of carbon sequestration in them deserves attention. In order to estimate the soil carbonsequestration, the Saveh Rudshur steppes were selected and placed into three treatments:long-term exclosure, medium-term exclosure and grazing rangelands. The soil sampling wasconducted at the depth of 0-30 cm under the plants and between the plants. As many as 60 soilsamples on each area and 180 soil samples in total were taken. The sampled soils were driedout in the open air and sifted through a sieve of 2mm meshes in the laboratory. The soilorganic carbon was measured using the Walkley-Black method. The findings indicated thatthere was a significant difference between the amount of the soil organic carbon under theplants and the carbon between the plants on each area separately (P<0.05). The results alsoshowed that the amount of organic carbon under the plants is greater than that between themin the treated exclosures while the grazing areas proved a different result. It can be seen fromthe mean of the total carbon sequestration that there is also a statistically significant differencebetween the medium-term exclosure with a mean of 22.45 ton/ha and the long-term exclosurewith a mean of 17.76 ton/ha and the grazing rangelands with a mean of 18.50 ton/ha.
